Thoughts For Next Time 7 June 2010
Posted by Kathy E. Gill (@kegill) in Course Notes.trackback
I’ve been thinking about the work we’ve done in the class this quarter and how we might restructure it for 2011. Initial thoughts (and questions) follow:
- The goal for having everyone install WordPress (a theme, plugins, etc) is so that everyone is at least familiar with the technology. I think that this becomes a two-step process: a mid-term assessment for everyone. Then those people who are using this installation as a final project will springboard from this point. Those people who are working together on a final project can shift focus and tweak design based on feedback.
- I think the weekend workshop was timed pretty well – although we might be able to work it in a week sooner. However, I think we should have a second weekend workshop about week 8.
- I thought the discussion leader sessions went well. Yes?
- How do we better incorporate design/usability issues?
- How much actual “code” writing (CSS, HTML) do we need to integrate?
Web Tools For The Digital World 
Kathy, the workshop was awesome and a direction which could receive another more detailed analysis mid-quarter. This could be of real assistance for those continuing to work towards proficiency in the structure and the formation of the design in total. Discussion leaders, tech , geek speak worked in addition to the other presentations and opened up avenues for highlighting the emphasis. One week of nothing but taking the website design in WP with details on flow and matching understanding with application could be another idea since proficiency levels seemed varied, I know for sure of that fact. Code might have been confusing and I know the attempts to customize didn’t work out beneficial in my situation. Enough said.
Kathy,
I agree that the weekend workshop was timed well. I also think that a 2nd one would be helpful, in addition to having a short section during each class dedicated to hands-on work with our individual blogs. For instance, perhaps there could be a featured plugin/widget for each class that everyone has to download and try using?
Yes – the discussion leader sessions were very beneficial. It was a great way to learn about some confusing topics in a more digestible manner.
I would have liked to do more hands-on CSS/HTML work (especially as I worked on my blog and tried to make minor tweaks in the theme which required updates in the html). Since this topic can be overwhelming for beginners, maybe just basic codes could be integrated at first (and the class could test a new piece of code each week on their own blogs during class)?
Overall – I really liked the structure of this class and am especially excited to have a practical take-way (my website) which I will be able to use even beyond the MCDM.
I agree that the full-day WordPress workshop was valuable. Adding more periodic, hands-on sessions like it would make me a much more confident user. For deep-dive sessions, it would be ideal to have a few experts available to work directly with small groups of students. As for code writing, I think adding some basic before-and-after exercises makes sense.
I really enjoyed learning about the principles behind visual design – color, typography, etc. While my own analysis of websites from various genres was personally beneficial, I’d also be interested in a greater emphasis on digital critiques and case studies presented by Kathy and other pros who are currently working in the field.
I thought the discussion leader presentations worked well, however I’d like to see more examples of real-world applications (particularly for some of the more complex technologies). Comparing and contrasting similar technologies may also be helpful.
Overall, a very worthwhile class and a wonderful, collaborative group of students!